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Cats first purred their way into human hearts thousands of years ago, and have been our treasured companions and soul mates ever since. Whether impish kittens, regal adult cats or serene seniors, it’s impossible for us to remain indifferent to them—especially at 4 A.M. when the food bowl runs dry! So smile at their many "c'attitudes," and feed your feline passion by "purr-using" wonderful stories like these:

A Russian blue comforts his mourning owner by faithfully bringing her flowers

An heroic red tabby Manx saves the family he loves from a lethal gas leak in their home

A Devon rex with extraordinary talents—including playing the piano—expands people's notions of what a cat can do

A fish-loving shorthair nearly loses his head while scavenging in the garbage disposal—but lives to meow about it

A three-legged kitty befriends a lonely third-grade girl, transforming her world and inspiring her future success in life

From playful and hilarious accounts of life with cats to heartwarming tales of cat courage, healing and learning, each touching story in Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul celebrates the special bond we share with our cats.

Oscar was named after the Sesame Street character who lives in a garbage can because that is where we first became acquainted. I was working at a pizza-delivery chain and had been assigned garbage duty. While tossing bags into a Dumpster, I heard a faint meow. I began digging through the trash, and several layers down I found a cat—bruised and thin. I wasn’t sure if the cat had crawled into the Dumpster to scavenge for food or if he had been put there purposely. Our establishment sat directly behind an apartment complex, and unsupervised and abandoned pets were common.

Back on solid ground, it became evident that the cat had an injured leg. He couldn’t put any weight on his right hindquarters. The situation created a dilemma for me. Finances were tight, and I was moving back home to my parents’ house—with two cats already in tow. Dad barely tolerated the two established felines. His reaction to another injured stray was sure to be less than receptive. I took the stray to the vet, hoping to patch him up. After shots and X-rays, the vet discovered the cat had a cracked pelvis. I posted notices, hoping someone would claim the cat or adopt him.

Meanwhile, the response at home was swift and firm: No more cats! Dad insisted I take the cat to the Humane Society immediately. I protested that the cat would be put to sleep. Luckily, my mother intervened. She agreed the injury would make the cat unadoptable, so we would keep him long enough for his hip to heal. Then he would have to go—no arguments.

Oscar must have somehow understood his situation. He seemed to study the other two cats and their interactions with my father. We suspect he bribed Tanner, our golden retriever, with table scraps in exchange for etiquette lessons. When the other cats were aloof, Oscar was attentive. He came when his name was called, and he would roll over on his back to have his belly scratched. As his injury began to heal, he would jump on the ottoman by my father’s favorite chair, and, eventually, into his lap. Initially, Dad pushed Oscar away, but persistence paid off. Soon, Oscar and a muttering Dad shared the chair. At mealtimes, Oscar would come to sit with us.

Positioned on the floor by my father’s chair, every so often Oscar would reach up with one paw and tap Dad on the knee. At first, this provoked great irritation and colorful expletives expressed in harsh tones. Oscar, however, refused to be put off. Repetitive knee-taps soon led to semi-covert handouts of choice morsels.

Oscar greeted my father at the top of the stairs every morning and waited for him at the door every evening. My father sometimes ignored Oscar, and, at other times, stepped over him, complaining the whole time. Oscar mastered opening doors by sticking his paw underneath the door and rocking it back and forth until it opened. Soon, he was sleeping in the master bedroom at the foot of the bed. My father was completely disgusted, but couldn’t stop the cat from sneaking onto the bed while they were sleeping. Eventually, Dad gave up.

Before long, Oscar, aspiring to his own place at the table during meals, began jumping up into my lap. He was allowed to stay as long as his head remained below table level. Of course, an occasional paw would appear as a reminder of his presence.

Three months passed, and the vet pronounced Oscar healthy and healed. I was heartbroken. How could I take this loving soul away from what had become his home, from the people he trusted? Sick at heart, I brought Oscar home and told my parents what should have been good news: Oscar was a healthy cat with a healed hip. “I’ll take him to the Humane Society like I promised,” I said dully. As I turned to put Oscar in the carrier for the trip, my father spoke, uttering three magic words: “Not my cat!” Oscar is home to stay. He now has his own chair at the table and sleeps—where else?—in the master bedroom between my mother and father. He is their official “grandkitten” and living proof that deep within the most unlikely heart, there is a cat lover in all of us.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

"There is indeed, no single quality of the cat that man could not emulate to his advantage." Carl Van Vechten

This book will make you life, cry and wonder in amazement at the bravery, intelligence, independence and sensitivity of man's other best friend, the cat!

I spent an entire day alternately laughing, crying and cuddling my kitties while reading this book. I could not put this amazing book down. It is a must read for anyone that has ever been owned by one of thse amazing creatures!

I settled in bed last night at about 9:30, intending to read one or two stories in this book before lights out. Flash forward to 12:30 AM and me propping my eyelids open with toothpicks as I promise myself "Just one more story."

This book is a gold mine for feline lovers. A well-established cat fanatic, I didn't think I could read anything that would make me love cats even more, yet this book did it. I was touched, moved, humored, and enamoured all over again with our furry feline friends.

A quick disclosure - I have 2 stories in the book. But since I don't make additional money if the book sells or not, I hope this review will be taken at face value. I would snatch this book off the shelves and give it to any cat lover, any day. I'm very pleased to be a part of such a fine collection.

Being a cat lover - and the proud parent of 3 handicapped kitties - I gasped in delight when I came across CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE CAT LOVER'S SOUL. This anthology combines over 100 stories of love, friendship, mystery, rescues, and more, and each story - anywhere from 2-6 pages each - packs a lot of punch, and enough emotion to have even the most composed person shedding a few tears. If you are a cat lover, this is a can't miss book, that will spend numerous hours by your side. A wonderful anthology that should be shared with the special cat - or cats - in your life.

I love all of the "Chicken Soup" books..they are well-done...heartfelt...I take this book with me everywhere...for a little "soul candy"...I'll be in a restaurant on my lunch break, while tears stream down my face straight from my heart. If you're in need of a tug at your heart...grab this book, and hopefully, have a cat to snuggle with ( or 2 or 3) and enjoy!

Keep a box of tissues handy when you read this book. This book will make you cry tears of happiness and unfortunately sadness. From the impishness of kittens to the regal mystery of adult cats, our feline companions never cease to captivate our hearts and imaginations. Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul celebrates our feline friends, and the people who love them, in all their varied splendor: their independence, their msystique, their playfulness, and, yes, even their disdain.

I laughed, cried, sighed, and thrilled over this wonderful collection of short stories about those ubiquitous "fur persons."

And, as one of those lucky souls who was invited to be a reader/judge of the finalists for publication, I am delighted to see so many of my favorites included in this collection. Hopefully, they'll be more installments of Chicken Soup anthologies for the legions of feline enthusiasts. This book is definitely a must have for anyone who loves cats and good short stories.

I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those dastardly dog-lovers who think cats are aloof & inferior. I do have to issue a warning about the chapter titled 'Farewell, My Love' though - don't read it if you are feeling vulnerable! It is very, very, very, very, very sad. I think the other reviewers have significantly underrated the 'crying element' to this book. My husband came home to find me red-eyed, shaken & exhausted after spending an afternoon in this particular chicken soup! Luckily there is a lovely, warm chapter about rescue kitties right after it which helps to restore one's equilibrium somewhat. All in all, it made me love not just my own babies more but all cats!

I received this book from my vet after I had to put my cat to sleep because of cancer. At first I couldn't read the book because I cried after reading each story. After a few weeks I decided to try again and started reading. I still cried, but this book made me realize just how much love and companionship is offered by our four-legged friends, and how much I really appreciated the time I had with my cat. This is must for all cat lover's.